Exam Study Guide

Scientific application of dental knowledge to criminal and civil law

Must have knowledge surrounding clinical dentistry and be able to apply that knowledge in a forensic context?

Individual tooth morphology Variations in shape and size of the teeth Restorations Pathologies Missing teeth Wear patterns Color and position of the teeth Growth and development of the teeth in juveniles In adults: Dental wear Periodontal condition Dental coloration Secondary dentine apposition Root resorption Root transparency

32 in adults 20 deciduous (in youngsters since they are missing three adult molars on each side)

Nowadays: 81 active Board-Certified Forensic Odontologists in US and Canada

Dental identification Disaster Victim Identification Dental Age Estimation Human Abuse Bitemark Analysis Civil Litigation Identification Biological profile Post-mortem interval Bitemark analysis Orthodontics

Standards and protocols Experience (hands-on and often by shadowing a professional forensic odontologist) Masters degree in Forensic Odontology Degree in Odontology Board certification Expertise: Dentistry background Head/neck anatomy Radiographic anatomy Oral pathology Dental restorative procedures

Forensic odontologists can estimate sex, age, and ancestry and provide a general description of the unidentified person during life It is a fast and reliable way of identifying individuals in cases of severe decomposition, burned remains, or disaster victim identification (where time is of the essence) The body’s hardest tissue is tooth enamel and teeth are specific to every individual, so it makes odontology a key aspect of the identification process

Branch of Physical Anthropology which, for forensic purposes, deals with the identification of skeletal remains

Forensic osteology Forensic archaeology Forensic taphonomy *Outdoor crime scene reconstruction

Analysis of skeletal remains Produce inventory of bones Assess biological profile (chronological age, sex, stature, ancestry) Personal identification Notation and interpretation of skeletal trauma

Archaeological excavation methods, principles, and practices useful to establish context (where and when things happened), association (linking evidence to other evidence and the scene and time frame), and chain of custody ** Locate and document the evidence (provenience, spatial distribution) properly

History of body and scene (not just the body) from time of deposition/death event, to time of analysis (1997) Time since death (PMI) Reconstruct the circumstances before, during, and after deposition Discriminate the products of human behavior from those created by the earth’s biological, physical, chemical, and geological subsystems NOW: refocus on reconstruction of past events at the scene Requires scene AND laboratory information And understanding of the effects of myriad forensic taphonomic agents on our evidence ** Used to understand the history of body and site from time of deposition to time of recovery (all potential agents altering the evidence . . . from decomposition, to insects and animals, to gravity, weather, and temperature, etc.) Next, identify the impact of all NATURAL taphonomic agents on the body over the Forensic Taphonomic Interval

Recreate time surrounding death scene; provide hints related to cause, manner, and circumstances of death reconstructions

Cultural anthropology Linguistic anthropology Biological anthropology (or Physical) Archaeology . . . Forensic anthropology falls under biological/physical anthropology

Dr. Dirkmaat and T. Dale Stewart

Director of DAFS for 32 years Trained as a biological anthropologist and archaeologist Board-certified ABFA (50) in 1996 T. Dale Stewart Award winner for Lifetime Achievement in the Field of Forensic Anthropology Forensic Anthropologist for Singapore and Puerto Rico Consultant to National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)

1200 forensic anthropology cases since 1986 (more than 400 field recoveries) Types of cases: Human vs. non human, searches, surface-scattered cases, buried body features, fatal fire scenes, mass disasters Skeletal analyses of over 700 individuals Emphasizes in forensic archaeology

Smithsonian Institution Model forensic anthropologist FBI walked over a box of bones for Stewart to review Stewart provided biological profile, almost exclusively

Forensic anthropology used to only be concerned with dry bones Bones shipped to forensic anthropologist after recovery by law enforcement, after forensic pathological examination, and often after clay reconstruction of facial features Concerned primarily with providing basic biological parameters in attempt to narrow missing person’s list No skeletal trauma analysis No consideration of the scene or context No contribution to cause, manner, or circumstances of death

Forensic anthropologists consulting on cases of skeletonized, unidentified remains Box of bones delivered to the lab Focus on the bones: lab-based discipline almost exclusively focused on biological profile No consideration of context to address other issues and very few cases

A box of bones is sent to the lab for a skeletal analysis with no consideration for the context (mainly just concerned with bio profile)

Inventory and documentation Biological profile Determination of identity Notation of skeletal trauma

Determine each skeletal element to specific bone, and side Determine each fragment to specific bone, portion, and side Experts with highly altered bones: weathered, burned, pathological